Mass. man who slashed cop gets 24-26 years

The level 3 sex offender nearly killed the officer in a gruesome attack in 2011

By PoliceOne Staff

DANVERS, Mass. — A jury found a suspect guilty of all seven charges against him at Salem Superior Court Thursday for an attack that nearly killed a Danvers officer.

Roy Limbaugh, 59, was sentenced to 19-20 years for armed assault with intent to murder and another 14-15 years on other assault charges — which will run concurrently — as well as five to six years for failure to register as a sex offender, Sgt. Robert Bettencourt stated.

Roy Limbaugh (Photo courtesy Sex Offender Registry)

Officer John Melto received life-threatening injuries to his neck, and deep wounds to his hands and arms that resulted in nerve damage during the 2011 attack, which Limbaugh initiated after Melto left his trailer, according to The Salem News.

"It was a murder where the victim didn't happen to die," Judge Howard Whitehead said during Limbaugh's sentencing for the Aug. 19, 2011, attack. "The only time I've seen pictures of neck injuries that were as serious as these, they were autopsy photos."

They were inflicted by "a person who has concluded either that the rules don't apply to him or that he's following the rules and people are misperceiving that."